Met Gala returns Monday with star power after pandemic delay

NEW YORK (AP) — The first of this year’s two-part Met Gala kicks off Monday night with a more intimate affair. Organizers haven’t said exactly how intimate but promise no less the star power after the celebrity-splashed party was canceled last year due to the pandemic. With a closely guarded guest list and intensely coveted tickets, this year’s gala marks the Costume Institute’s 75th anniversary. The gala raises the bulk of the institute’s annual funding, including a larger gathering scheduled for May 2 that will reclaim its traditional spot on the first Monday in May. Met museum director Max Hollein calls fashion a “harbinger of cultural shifts” and a record of the forces that shape our lives.